Unsaid Things
by Julie Anna Tennant
Summary: The Doctor was quiet, utterly quiet, and Donna Noble knew it was not a good thing.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing here and I don't intend to gain anything with this story either. This is just for fun.**

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**Unsaid Things**

_by Julie Anna Tennant_

The Doctor was quiet, utterly quiet, and Donna Noble knew it was not a good thing. She have been travelling with him enough time to know that that old alien boy had something on his mind; Donna could see, by the way he was distractedly pushing levers on the control panel, that something was bothering him. She observed him for a while, trying to figure out what was wrong with him, but nothing came to her mind.

"Are you okay, Doctor?" she asked, after some time.

The Doctor almost jumped off his skin and turned around abruptly to look at his friend; If Donna had to guess, she would say that he had just noticed her presence there.

"What?"he replied, looking a surprised "Where the hell did you came from? Don't do that again, you almost made my hearts stop!"

"You dumbo, I'm here for almost ten minutes already!" she said impatiently "And I asked if you are okay"

The redhead come closer to the panel and sat on the chair next to it; The Doctor's gaze followed her all the way, but he said nothing.

"Are you listening, or you're just ignoring me?" Donna asked, annoyed.

"I'm fine and I don't know why you're asking me this" he said, giggling "So, where do you want to go, now? Back to Earth? What do you think about meeting Jane Austen? I like her a lot, not as much as Agatha Christie, but Jane's an interesting woman too"

He was babbling, trying to sound like his true self, but Donna wasn't buying it. He could be laughing and smiling, but his eyes seemed sad; _extremely _sad, to be honest.

"You're lying" Donna said; it was more an affirmative than a question "I don't know exactly about what, but you are lying."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm not. There's nothing wrong with me, I'm good" he insisted, then started pushing buttons and levers, setting the coordinates "So, Jane Austen? I think you'll like her. But we could go to some other place, if you want. Maybe we could go get your granddad and take him somewhere... I'm sure he would love it"

"Stop it!" Donna said, an octave higher than usual, grabbing her friend's arm to force him stop pushing buttons "Stop acting like nothing is happening, because I can see you're trying to hide something from me. Don't be such a bonehead and tell me what's going on. NOW!"

His expression went dark suddenly, scaring the shit out of Donna. The Doctor seemed angry and annoyed, but there was something else in his eyes that she couldn't really tell what it was.

"Don't push me like this, Donna. It's not wise" he said in a cold tone "Forget about it and let's go get Wilfred."

That was the first time Donna got truly afraid of her alien friend. The way his expression changed so suddenly and how he was staring at her was quiet intimidating. But she was Donna Noble, and although the Doctor and she argued a lot, she worried about him. She had already seen how that stupid alien got when he let his troubled feelings get on the way.

The redhead stood up, staring at him as well, trying not to seem scared.

"Look, Doctor. If you don't want to tell me what's wrong, then don't, but I'm only trying to help" she said, placing one of her hands on his arm "You may be a pain in the arse, but I like you, spaceman, and I don't like seeing you so sad. Whatever is bothering you, just know I'm here if you ever want to share it with someone."

He gave her a sad smile and all the threat on his eyes faded away. The Doctor sighed tiredly, grabbing his friend's hand and squeezing it a little.

"Thank you, Donna" he told her, sincerely.

She nodded, but said nothing else. The Time Lord sat on the stair quietly, followed by his companion. He kept silent for some time and Donna chose not to hurry him… he would talk when he felt prepared.

"Do you know which day it's this?" he asked, thoughtfully.

"April 10th, if I'm right" she answered, confused.

"Yes, you are. April 10th."

He stood in silence, leaving Donna completely lost.

"What's so important about april 10th?" she asked, realizing he would not talk anything more.

The Doctor stared at his companion and his sad smile showed up again.

"It's Rose's birthday" he said simply.

Donna didn't need any more explanation, his answer had said enough. She touched his shoulder softly, trying to pass some support.

"I'm sorry, spaceman" she told him, calmly.

"So am I" he answered.

They stayed in silence. Donna didn't knew what to say… Rose Tyler was a delicate subject on the Doctor's life. The redhead just sat there with him, and rest her head on his shoulder, trying to show that she was there with him, that he was not alone anymore and that she would help him with anything he needed. They were pals, mates… Partners in crime.

"You know what hurt me the most?" he asked, after a long time.

His tone was hurt… heartbreaking.

"What?" she replied, softly.

"I never told her how I felt… I had had plenty of chances, but I never did" he murmured.

Donna looked at him and had to make a great effort not to cry when she saw his eyes filled with unshed tears. She hated seeing him so vulnerable.

"I'm sure she knew it, Doctor. You may not have said, but she _knew_." The redhead assured.

"Maybe you're right" he said.

And for a long time, they just stayed there in silence, with the humming sound of the TARDIS on the background.

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** An Author's Note**

So, that's it. Thanks for reading, hope you liked it.

Do I get any reviews? Pleeeeease? :)

_**Julie Anna Tennant**_


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